How Texans voted

Published 6:30 am, Sunday, December 9, 2007

WASHINGTON — How the Texas congressional delegation voted on selected issues last week:

Senate

• 1. Energy bill filibuster: Failed, 53-42, to reach 60 votes needed to advance a House-passed bill (HR 6) establishing new U.S. energy policies and imposing $21 billion in taxes — including $13.5 billion on oil and gas firms — to pay for them. Republicans objected to the tax increases and mandate that electric utilities produce between 11 percent and 15 percent of their energy from renewable sources by 2020. A yes vote supported the bill.

• 2. Alternative minimum tax: Approved, 88-5, and sent to the House a deficit-spending bill (HR 3996) to exempt about 19 million middle-income households from the Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT) in 2007. The bill's $50 billion cost would be added to the national debt because the Senate (below) refused to offset it with tax increases. The AMT, which sets a minimum rate, was enacted in 1969 to prevent a small number of wealthy filers from using deductions, exemptions and shelters to avoid income taxes. Not indexed for inflation, the AMT has crept into middle-income brackets, and even with this temporary fix it will add a projected $2,000 per return to the 2007 tax bills of four million middle-income filers. A yes vote was to pass the bill.

• 3. Pay-as-you-go dispute: Refused, 46-48, to include the pay-as-you-go rule in a bill (HR 3996, above) granting Alternative Minimum Tax relief to 19 million middle-income households in 2007. The budget rule requires tax cuts or entitlement spending hikes to be offset elsewhere in the federal budget. The Senate needed 60 votes to overcome a GOP filibuster against the pay-go requirement. Republicans objected to using tax increases centered on hedge-fund managers and investment partners to offset the bill's $50 billion one-year cost. A yes vote was to add pay-go rules to the bill.

• 4. Peru trade agreement: Approved, 77-18, and sent to President Bush a bill (HR 3688) to implement a U.S.-Peru free-trade accord that requires Peru to meet certain labor and environmental standards. The agreement locks in duty-free Peruvian access to U.S. markets while immediately lifting Peruvian duties on 80 percent of U.S. agricultural and consumer-product exports and 67 percent of U.S. farm exports. Peru's remaining barriers to U.S. commerce would be gradually lowered over several years. The agreement requires Peru to implement international labor standards, including the right to strike and bargain collectively, and to adopt stricter environmental policies. A yes vote was to pass the bill.

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2

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Cornyn(R)San Antonio

N

Y

N

Y

Hutchison(R)Dallas

A

Y

N

Y

House

• 1. New energy policies: Voted 235-181 to send to the Senate a bill (HR 6) that would raise vehicle mileage requirements by 40 percent by 2020; require electric utilities to produce between 11 percent and 15 percent of their energy by 2020 from renewable sources such as the wind, sun and crops; raise residential and industrial energy-efficiency standards, and increase biofuels production sevenfold by 2022. To finance its many programs to reduce U.S. dependence on fossil fuels, the bill would levy $21 billion in new taxes, including a $13.5 billion rollback of breaks granted in recent years to the oil and gas industry. The bill would increase Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards for cars, SUVs and light trucks to a fleet average of 35 miles per gallon by 2020, up from current levels of 27 mpg for cars and 22.2 mpg for SUVS and light trucks. This would be the first increase in mileage standards in 32 years. A yes vote was to pass the bill.

On March 6, Texas voters will decide who will carry the Democratic party's mantle into the battle for governor and a slew of other statewide offices. Click here for full coverage of the primary elections. Find our voters guide here.